Tue Nov 9 06:59:42 1999
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 13:21:58 (lokal tid)+0900
From: hosokawk@cc.saga-u.ac.jp (Hosokawk)
Subject: MagpieNews #991108 (Tokai accident-24th report)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Magpie Country Nukes Headliner
nuclear issues news brief from Japan
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Criticality accident at Tokai uranium processing plant

24th REPORT

TOKAI RESIDENTS BLOOD TESTS SHOW POSSILE DNA DAMAGE;
PREFECTURE GOVERNOR ASK TEPCO TO POSTPONE MOX BURNING

8 November

Urine samples of 150 people, who are among the 1,838 people in Tokai Village and Naka Town who had physical check-up on 2-4 October, just after the JCO Tokai criticality accident, have been tested for the concentration of hydroxylguanosine. This particular type of nucleoside is known as an indicator of DNA damage. It was found that there were several sample that showed a concentration higher than normal.

It had been reported earlier (on Asahi, 29 October) that no abnormality was detected by the same test on the blood samples of 350m evacuation zone residents, while the three hospitalized JCO workers (i.e. those most severely radiation-exposed) showed very high figures.

The tests were carried out by Dr Hiroshi Yamauchi of St Mary-Anne Medical College, Kawasaki City (south of Tokyo), together with the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), Hiroshima.

The physical check up was administered by the Ibaraki Prefecture. Prefecture officials says the blood test results have not been advised to the residents, with the pretext that, they say, it is hard to determine that the HDG figures in question unequivocally indicate radiation hazard because similar figures can be observed with heavy smokers.

==============================

Governor of Niigata Prefecture, Mr Hirayama, has decided today (8 October) to ask TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) to postpone its MOX burning program at the utility's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Stations, the world largest nuke power plant complex with seven reactors (5 BWRs and 2 ABWRs), total output of 8,262MW. TEPCO plans to start up the MOX burning at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa next year.

To the shock of the utility and the pro-nuclear Japanese Government, Governor Hirayama's statement came after his meeting with the mayors of Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Village, on the border of which the TEPCO nuclear stationis sited. The three heads of local government agreed that the Tokai-mura accident had cast a serious doubt on the safety of nuclear power and the people who live in the vicinity of the nuclear power station are very much worried about it.

The Niigata Governor and the mayors of the site local governments will meet TEPCO executives, later this week, and demand that the so-called "Plu-thermal" project should be suspended by one year. They also intend to ask the same to the central government.

TEPCO also plans to start MOX burning at its Fukushima Unit I-3 (784MW BWR) later this year (1999), but there are much criticism on the project.

Another MOX burning program at Takahama Unit 4 (870MW PWR) in Fukui Prefecture, operated by KEPCO (Kansai Electric Power Company), is about to start, possibly later this month. Environmental NGOs and independent researchers, and many of the local residents, claim that the MOX utilization projects are too dangerous and wasteful, and should be mothballed altoghether.

[OOAs velkomstside] [til international-emneside] [til Tokaimura ulykken - oversigt]

OOA, Blegdamsvej 4 B - st, 2200 Kbh. N.
Tlf: 35 35 55 07, Fax: 35 35 65 45
E-mail: ooa@email.dk

Sidst opdateret 10. november 1999